


5 Times Tony Carried Peter

by S0lstice



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: As Cap would say: Language!, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Irondad, Peter Parker is a Little Shit, Precious Peter Parker, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Is An Exasperated Adult, flangst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:41:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26605408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/S0lstice/pseuds/S0lstice
Summary: ...and one time that Peter returned the favor.Some will be fluffy, some will be h/c and angsty. New chapters will likely be updated sporadically, whenever inspiration strikes or in between other ongoing fics! Tags will be updated as we go.
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 21
Kudos: 152





	5 Times Tony Carried Peter

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like this might have been done before, but I can’t remember or find anything specific... It’s not an original idea in general, but hopefully these chapters are unique enough on their own either way!
> 
> Special thanks to whumphoarder for beta reading this chapter!

“I’ve got him,” Tony said, nerves easing when a little red dot popped up on his visor’s map overlay.

_“You got him?”_

“Sure do. His location, at least.”

_“And you said his suit isn’t reporting any injuries?”_ May spoke just a tad too fast, her voice strained with anxiety. Tony couldn’t say that he blamed her; the kid was over an hour past his curfew and wasn’t answering his phone.

“No injuries. Looks like he’s heading for the apartment already, but I’ll make sure everything is okay and see that he gets there. Ten minutes or less, scout’s honor.”

_"As if you were ever a boy scout..."_

"Maybe not, but I did buy twelve whole pallets of some kid's popcorn one year," Tony quipped as he adjusted his course towards Peter’s map marker. "So I think that counts for something."

May just let out a quiet chuckle. _“Thank you, Tony,”_ she added after a moment of comfortable silence. _“I think I’d have bitten my fingernails clean off by now if you weren’t around to help with Peter.”_

“My pleasure,” he assured. She didn’t need to know that he was still in his pajamas under the suit, or that he had been half asleep when he got her worried call. He hung up to focus on navigating the city streets. They were fairly active despite the late hour, bars still open and late night shoppers strolling the sidewalks. 

In less than a minute, the young vigilante he had been seeking came into view, swinging speedily from building to building. Tony hung back a moment to make sure he was moving normally. He trusted the suit’s injury report of course, but he always felt better confirming it with his own eyes. 

After inwardly agreeing that Peter looked to be in good health, Tony gave a sly grin. He sped up, rising higher into the air before cutting his thrusters altogether and going silent. Then he angled himself into a downward glide as he began to lose altitude, aiming straight for his unsuspecting protégé.

It needed to be perfect. He wouldn’t risk hurting the kid, so he monitored his speed and trajectory as he rapidly closed in on him, ready to abort his plan if necessary.

Peter was running along the top of a restaurant and had just leapt off the edge of it when Tony got to him. He reached out and snatched Peter out of the air, arms around his middle, simultaneously turning his thrusters back on to even them out so they didn’t slam into the street. 

Peter instantly screamed, grabbing on to the arms around him, and Tony heard a few exclamations from startled people on the sidewalk. Then he took off again, prize in hand. Peter scrambled and twisted around, climbing halfway over Tony’s shoulder like a panicked cat before Tony tightened his grip to make sure he stayed put. He knew the boy would almost surely be able to web himself to something if he fell, but he didn’t want to take any chances. 

“Holy shit, Mr. Stark! You can’t do stuff like that!” Peter called wildly, still struggling and kicking. “I have an image to uphold!”

“Oh you do, do you?” Tony teased, and smiled to himself when Peter finally decided to give up and just cling to him like an octopus. 

“There were people on the street.” There was a pout in his voice now. “I was trying to be cool.”

“Cool people get home before curfew.”

“When has that _ever_ been true?”

“...Okay you got me there. But come on, what are you still out here for?”

Peter was quiet for a few seconds and then gave a deflated sigh. “I lost my backpack, okay? I’ve been looking for it.”

“That’s it?”

“I didn’t want to go home without it! May _just_ bought it for me. Seriously, like two days ago.”

A few pigeons flying across Tony’s view had him dipping down unexpectedly and Peter gasped, squeezing onto him even tighter. 

“Uh, the last person who did this dropped me in the Hudson from like a hundred feet,” Peter said with a lighthearted chuckle, but there was an ever-so-slight tremor in his voice and Tony felt a twinge of guilt in his chest. “You’re not going to do that, right?”

“I promised to bring you home safely, so no. No dips in the river tonight.”

“Oh God, tell me you’re not out here because May called you?”

“What, you thought I was just out for a late night cruise and happened upon you by chance?”

“This is so embarrassing… Hey, can you— um,” Peter stammered, sounding unsure. “Can you let me… can you let go a sec? I don’t like not being able to see where we’re going.”

After just a moment of hesitation, Tony loosened his grip around Peter’s midsection, deciding to trust in the kid’s sticky hands and feet and his own ability to catch him if he were to fall. Slowly and carefully, Peter continued his crawl over Tony’s shoulder and up onto his back where he crouched low, hands glued to Tony’s upper back. 

After the kid was situated—and after pushing down the indignation of being used like a sled—Tony got back down to questioning. 

“Okay, so you were looking for your backpack. Still doesn’t explain why you weren’t answering your phone.”

“The phone is in the backpack.”

Tony snorted. “Come on, Pete, I put pockets in your suit for a reason.”

“I know! I just… forgot. I’m having an off night,” Peter replied dejectedly. “I _promised_ I wasn’t going to lose this one, Mr. Stark. So I just thought… even if I was a few minutes late, if I could just find the backpack then at least I wouldn’t be letting her down again, you know? And then the later it got, the more I didn’t want to go home without anything to show for it.” He hunkered down just a little lower on Tony’s back as he spoke, like a dog standing next to a torn-up couch cushion awaiting his punishment. 

Tony just sighed, knowing it wasn’t his place to do any punishing, at least not in this type of situation. That was May’s territory, and he had no doubt that she would do a more than adequate job. 

“I’m thinking she’d rather have you safe and empty-handed,” he said, choosing to go with a gentle admonishing instead. “Even if you knew she was gonna be mad, you gotta just man up and accept it. It comes down to whether you wanna make her angry or scared.”

“Oh…” Peter murmured thoughtfully. “Yeah, okay.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Because I know I’d rather be mad at you than not know where you are and worry that something had happened to you.”

Tony expected a begrudging sigh or perhaps a muttered apology, but instead the kid just giggled. 

“Aw, I think you like me,” Peter said, giving Tony’s shoulder a pat that he barely felt through the suit. 

“Why the hell else would I put up with you? Whatever,” Tony grumbled, his heart warming with an unexpected mix of fondness and embarrassment. 

“Because you like me.”

  
  
  


A short time later, he was hovering carefully outside Peter’s bedroom window as the boy transferred himself from Tony to the brick wall. 

“Thanks for the ride, Mr. Stark!” Peter said, sounding surprisingly cheery for someone who was probably about to get a major tongue-lashing. “You’re a great mode of transportation!”

“Yeah, well let’s not make this a regular thing,” Tony replied as Peter slid his window open. Inside, May was already standing in the threshold of Peter’s doorway. 

“Thanks again,” she called to him, giving him a wave and a grateful smile. 

He gave her a salute and after a quick, “Alright, see you, kid,” took off into the air again. 

  
  
  


The next morning, Tony woke to find that a photo of them had gone viral. It was taken from the sidewalk, aimed upward to where Peter was airborne, arm outstretched and poised to shoot a web to the next building. He looked heroic against the night sky, illuminated by the yellow of a changing traffic light below him. No doubt Peter _would_ have been pleased with the photo. But just behind him was Tony, looking larger than life in his shining red and gold armor, arms out and ready to pluck Peter out of the sky. The caption read ‘ _Photos Taken Seconds Before Disaster’._

Tony couldn’t help the small smirk that pulled at his lips as he forwarded the link to Peter. The poor kid was likely already mortified, but he just couldn’t resist, adding, “This is what happens when you stay out past curfew.”

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments and kudos are the syrup to my waffles. And I love waffles. 💖 
> 
> Much love to you! (Yes, you) 💕


End file.
